Eagles take East

Orton’s interception seals Cowboy’s loss

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson runs with the ball after a catch during Sunday's game in Arlington, Texas. The Eagles clinched the NFC East title with a 24-22 win.

By the Associated Press

Nick Foles threw two touchdown passes, NFL rushing champion LeSean McCoy had 131 yards and a receiving score, and the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Dallas Cowboys 24-22 in a win-or-go-home game for the NFC East title in Arlington, Texas.The Cowboys (8-8), with Kyle Orton filling in two days after Tony Romo had back surgery, lost to a division rival with a playoff berth on the line for the third straight year.The Eagles (10-6) will host New Orleans in a wild-card game Saturday night.Dallas trailed 24-16 when Orton threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Dez Bryant. Orton went back to Bryant for the 2-point conversion, but Cary Williams dove to punch the ball away.The Cowboys got another chance with a stop from their beleaguered defense, but Orton's pass was intercepted by Brandon Boykin on the first play to seal the win.Bengals 34, Ravens 17: Andy Dalton threw for two touchdowns, ran for another and set a pair of Bengals passing records, leading the Bengals to a victory that eliminated the defending Super Bowl champion in Cincinnati.

The Ravens (8-8) lost their last two games, denying them a chance to make the playoffs for a sixth straight season. They couldn't avoid the Super Bowl slump that's so common. The Ravens became the 15th Super Bowl champ that failed to reach the playoffs the following season, and the sixth in the last 12 years.

Broncos 34, Raiders 14: Peyton Manning set the NFL single-season record for yards passing and threw four first-half touchdown passes to help the Denver Broncos clinch the top seed in the AFC playoffs with a win over the raiders in Oakland.

Manning finished the regular season with 5,477 yards and 55 touchdown passes.

Chargers 27, Chiefs 24, OT: Nick Novak kicked a 36-yard field goal with 5:30 left in overtime, ending the Chargers' 3-year playoff drought with a victory in San Diego.

The Chargers (9-7) needed help for weeks, and everything fell into place on Sunday, with the last piece being their win over a Chiefs team that already had clinched the AFC's No. 5 seed and rested 20 of 22 starters.

Jets 20, Dolphins 7: Geno Smith led three long scoring drives, ran for a touchdown and threw for 190 yards in Miami to eliminate the Dolphins from playoff contention.

The Dolphins (8-8) squandered a shot at their first playoff berth since 2008 by losing their final two games.Steelers 20, Browns 7: Le'Veon Bell ran for 90 yards and a touchdown as the Steelers drubbed the Browns at home, though Pittsburgh's bid to become the second team in NFL history to go winless in September and make the playoffs ended when San Diego edged Kansas City.Panthers 21, Falcons 20: Cam Newton threw two touchdown passes, Greg Hardy had a team-record four sacks and the Panthers clinched the NFC South in Atlanta.Saints 42, Buccaneers 17: Drew Brees passed for four touchdowns and ran for another score, and New Orleans clinched a wild-card spot in New Orleans.

Three of Brees' scoring strikes were longer than 40 yards – 76 to Kenny Stills, 44 to Lance Moore and 41 to Robert Meachem. Brees passed for 381 yards, eclipsing 5,000 yards in a season for an unprecedented fourth time. He finished the season with 5,162 yards to go with 39 touchdowns.

Seahawks 27, Rams 9: Malcolm Smith returned an interception 37 yards for a touchdown, Marshawn Lynch added a 2-yard scoring run and the Seahawks clinched the NFC West title and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with a win in Seattle.

49ers 23, Cardinals 20: Phil Dawson made a 40-yard field goal as time expired in Glendale, Ariz., to lift the 49ers to a win over the Cardinals that clinched the NFC's No. 5 playoff seed.

San Francisco will visit Green Bay in the wild-card round next weekend.